This invention relates in general to a universal pour spout adaptor for use with suction canisters of various designs and, in particular, to such an adaptor that will fit onto the pour spout of various standard suction canisters so that such canisters can receive materials through their pour spouts during medical procedures.
During the performance of various medical procedures it frequently becomes necessary to remove material such as vomitus during an emergency, or bone chips during an orthopedic procedure, by suctioning. The suction canisters used in medical procedures have standard fittings for receiving suction tubing, typically xe2x85x9xe2x80x3 to {fraction (9/32)}xe2x80x3 ID. However, in some medical procedures, as discussed above, the nature of the materials being removed by the suctioning are such that the materials would clog the standard tubing and fittings used for connecting suction tubing. Accordingly, the only other opening on most suction canisters is the pour spout through which the container is emptied.
However, there is no industry standard for suction canister pour spouts, so any device which is intended to provide a secure, air-tight connection between large ID suction tubing and the pour spouts of the various suction canisters must be designed to accommodate several different styles of pour spouts. Some suction cannister pour spouts have protrusions on the inside of the container that make air tight connection to the interior of the cannister difficult. With such suction canisters it is necessary to connect a large ID suction tubing to the exterior of the canister pour spout. With other canisters, the exterior pour spout is too short to form a solid connection, or the variation in the OD""s is such that an impractically long adapter would be required. With suction canisters of these designs, a connection to the interior of the pour spout becomes necessary.
The present invention is designed to overcome one or more of these problems.